Features

If you want to celebrate the tremendous lifetime accomplishments of highly acclaimed performance artists, one of the best programs to watch is the annual Kennedy Center Honors, which was televised Dec. 22.

The Kennedy Center Honors have been awarded annually since 1978 by the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Christmas 2011 has passed, but in reflecting on the past year, it’s an appropriate time to recall Mama’s words from 1941. She made it a point to remind her only son that I should always be grateful, regardless of circumstances.

“Be thankful of any and all gifts under the tree,” she said.

That’s as true now as it was then, especially after I showed my selfish streak on that Christmas Day 70 years ago.

Editor’s note: Cole Waddell is a Lancaster resident who was living in New York City during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. He moved back here in 2005. This is the third part of a three-part series about Southerners who shared Christmas dinner there each year.

Editor’s note: Author Cole Waddell is a Lancaster resident who was living in New York City during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. He moved back here in 2005. This is the second part of a three-part series about Southerners who shared Christmas dinner there each year.

Part 2

We are well aware that things have changed. With airline security now ramped up, this year’s Christmas dinner will be different.

For some, the notion of buying Christmas gifts for pets is unthinkable – a yard dog is a yard dog, they say, worthy of an occasional sow’s ear (maybe). Cats find their own amusement, so why waste money?

But with 78.2 million pet dogs in the United States, according to a national pet survey, owned by 45 million American households and 86.4 million cats in 38 million homes, it’s no surprise many think otherwise.

Editor’s note: Author Cole Waddell is a Lancaster resident who was living in New York City during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. He moved back here in 2005. This is the first part of a three-part series about Southerners who shared Christmas dinner there each year.